Abstract:

This Creative Project considers the environmental characteristics that
contribute to the occurrence of crime in the Old West End neighborhood of Muncie,
IN. The process documented in this study first identifies areas of higher crime,
“hotspots,” based on GIS analysis of three years of crime data provided by Delaware
County, IN. The hotspots are identified and studied, and then recommendations are
made based on the character of each of three areas identified as having the greatest
amount of six different kinds of crime. The recommendations are made according
to literature on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, Defensible Space,
Natural Surveillance, among other sources and theories.